Premed People......How did you adjust from using a calculator to not being able to use a calc on the MCAT?

Question

Hey I am a premed student and I will be preparing to take the MCAT soon. (I have a little over a year before i take the test but I am going to get ready early) I am wondering how you adjusted from being able to use a calculator to not being able to use one?

What is the best way for me to prepare so I can do my best?

Answer 1

There is a course you can take to study for the MCAT. As or the calculator, if you cant do basic calculations without one then you shouldn't even be wasting your time.

Answer 2

The math on the MCAT is just basic stuff--they know you won't have a calculator and they don't set up problems that would require a lot of pencilwork.  If you are used to using a calculator, the main thing is to just get used to writing out the problem and setting it up rapidly and correctly.

The two most common mistakes are either the same answer with a different decimal place (like 1.0 instead of 10.0) or an answer where you set up a ratio wrong (like using the wrong number in the divisor).  So what they're testing for is to see that you understand how to set up the problem, not so much that you can "do math".  Often you don't even have to finish the math if you set it up right.  The sneaky part is that they'll put those common-mistake wrong answers as choices.  So practice making sure the equation is set up correctly, and when you think you see the answer, double-check that the magnitude seems correct (recheck the decimal place).

Good luck!